Jasper (12 yr old Mini Schnauzer) is now at peace

[Tina]

Thanks everyone for all your thoughts, comments and feedback on the heart murmur. Tracy and Iris thanks so much for all of the detailed information about your experiences, and the encouragement, I sure need it. Tracy his murmur is on the left side.

By the middle of last week I had settled down enough to call the vet with some additional questions, I had my list in hand. I too felt very concerned by the fact that it was a grade 3 when it was discovered, and felt worried that maybe something had been missed back in May. Well, I'll never know for sure if something was missed, but my vet did explain that not all dogs start with a very low-grade murmur with gradual progression in severity. She said that it can show up as a more sudden bigger leakage. So I guess that's what happened with Jasper. She said that it will continue to progress and get worse, but there is no way to know if it will be a fast or slow progression. So I just have to hope and pray for a slow progression.

His chest X-ray showed mild enlargement of his heart. We were hoping there wouldn't be any enlargement yet, but there is. Ironically, the treatment is an ace inhibitor, enalapril. He is already taking enalapril for his kidneys and PLN, so he wasn't started on anything else at this point. I voiced my concern that this all happened while he has been taking the medication that is used to treat it, and wondered if things would be worse if he hadn't been taking it. My vet said that the enalapril doesn't act preventatively, so that is not likely. But in my mind I wonder about that, how would it be this bad already when he was already getting the medication?

So the plan is to re-check a chest X-ray in 2 months to see if there is further heart enlargement. She said she is not expecting it to enlarge more by then. If it does, then another medication would be added, Vetmedin. The only problem there is that it can be hard on the kidneys, so that will be a concern. We will re-check labwork in 2 months too. I have done some research and plan to ask my vet about her thoughts on getting an echocardiogram for him before that time.

We got bad news on the UPC also, it has gone up a bit more again and is now 2.14. It was 1.81 in March. So it is slowly increasing.

His previous UPC's and dates:

10/22/12 1.27
01/14/13 3.57
05/06/13 1.49
08/31/13 0.6
12/23/13 1.63
03/20/14 1.81
08/02/14 2.14

So now we are over the 2.0 mark. She said it is a small increase and this is what she expects. Well, it isn't what I expect! There is no change in treatment at this time, we are continuing everything the same.

So that is where we are at. Tracy, I am with you, I feel like I want to wrap him in bubble wrap. And I don't want him running around at all. Not like he really feels up to that most of the time, but on a rare occasion he gets pretty rowdy with Shelby. He has been really subdued and low energy for a long time now, and maybe this has been part of the reason for it. But I will say since about Sunday, he has seemed to be feeling better and more energy, for whatever reason. I'm not complaining, I'll take it!

I admit I have been feeling quite discouraged and down in the dumps over all of this. I'm very disappointed with the UPC, and scared about his kidney status, and now of course the heart murmur issue. Lots of big things to worry about.

But I will end for now with my one good thing for today (actually two good things):

• Jasper has seemed more perky and like he's feeling better for the last few days, for that I am so grateful. He is also eating pretty well now. *whisper*
  
• My air conditioner broke last Thursday morning and thank God it was something that could be fixed by the end of the day on Friday. (Yes, I had to miss a few hours of work!). So we didn't end up without air-conditioning all weekend, or even longer. Even though it wasn't super hot like normal, I don't know what I would've done with Jasper, he wouldn't have been able to tolerate the heat for an extended period of time.

Thanks again for all the feedback, any additional comments are welcome!

Hugs,
Tina and Jasper xo

[Budsters Mom]

We were talking about finding one good thing on other threads today. You found two!! Yay!!!! We'll take it!!!

I know you are worried Tina. You do an awesome job keeping up with it all. Jasper is forever grateful. For that, I am sure.

Big hugs,

[*]Jasper has seemed more perky and like he's feeling better for the last few days, for that I am so grateful. He is also eating pretty well now. *whisper

[labblab]

Oh Tina, you are such a sweetie for taking the time to write to me when you've got so much on your plate yourself. I'm afraid I don't have any great words of wisdom to offer (especially cuz right now I'm only half awake during a middle-of-the-night potty break with Luna ). But you've absolutely got tons of healing thoughts flowing your way! Hang in there, sweet Jasper!

Marianne

[Trish]

Hi Tina

Sorry you have been having a bad time of late, so we now add heart murmur to the mix. I tell ya, these boys of ours love to copy each other eh!! Flynny had his diagnosed just before his last liver resection in November. His is low grade and no progression this year, so Jasper can jolly well do the same!! I guess I pushed the murmur thing aside when we were dealing with his other problems. I must look into it further, but then like Jasper he is on the treatment already too and had been on it for some time when the IMS first heard the murmur in November.

The UPC is only slightly up, but like you I do not like it going over 2. I just checked Flynn's results over the last couple of years, it has gone over 2 and then come back down 4 times now. So I hope Jasper's does the same. But I do know and understand the worry when that happens, this is why I am pretty careful about not even getting it tested when he is off colour for any reason as that is a sure fire way of getting a higher result. I seem to remember that Jasper had been unwell a bit prior to that latest test so I have lots of hope that now he is feeling perkier that it will show some improvement on the next testing Tina!!

Will be looking out for you for a catchup this weekend, I have a few things on including popping into work for a bit to get everything sorted before my leave starts next Thursday!

My happy thing for today is seeing you pop in for an update , always love to see you posting so hope the last couple of days of the week speed by and go well for you guys! xxx

[addy]

Oh Tina, I am so sorry you have all this worry. I hope your wrist is holding up now that you returned to work.

When Zoe had so many things going on, her GP advised to pick my battles that I could not win them all. Well, in this case maybe we cannot win the battles but we can control them for Jasper.

I totally agree with Trish that if Jasper is off his UPC can be higher. Let's not worry too much about that yet.

I know it is hard, but just enjoy your boy now and wipe it all from your mind for a bit each day. I know, easier said than done.

So glad the air is back on, not that you would need it if you lived here, we have had such a cool summer, yesterday the high was 68

[Woodydog]

Tina

I'm glad that you have been able to speak with the vet re Jaspers murmour, I hope it has made your mind stop racing well a little bit anyway. It is hard to take in it took me a while before I adjusted to it and realised that he would be fine.

I'm no use on the UPC I'm afraid but sending positives thoughts to you all

[molly muffin]

Well phooey on the heart mummer coming on like that. I know it is a worry.
Hopefully his UPC will come back down from over 2. like Flynn's did. It is just so darn hard trying to manage each little thing and not have one upset the other.

Thinking of you and Jasper and Shelby!
hugs
Sharlene and molly muffin

[Trixie]

Hi Tina,
Couldn't wait to catch up on your posts. I've been absent from the board for awhile but certainly have had Jasper in my thoughts and I've been wondering how he has been.
Sorry to read the news about the heart murmur and I'm going to take the positive side and hope it stays stable and that Jasper will have no effects from it.
Glad your a/c got fixed quickly! I'm so addicted to having cool air..especially at night but also Trixie just can't take the heat so a/c is a must.
The best news was to read that Jasper has been perky and having a better appetite! That's what matters the most right now!!
Hope everything will be okay with Jasper and that Shelby is doing fine too. Hoping Jasper continues to show his perky side!

Barbara

[Trish]

Hi Tina

How is Jasper doing, his fans want to know Hope your wrist is all healed up and feeling better too! xxxx

[addy]

His fans do want to know, your fans as well